Allen Semmes is a 3 year-old youngster who was described as an angel but lately he has had
severe temper tantrums that happen on a weekly basis for the past 6 weeks. According to his
mother, They often follow a change in his routine, not having an afternoon nap, or if hes
hungry. On rare occasions Allen will get so worked up that hell grab something and throw it on
the floor. Funny, but his teachers love him at preschool. I dont want to reach any premature
conclusions but if theres anything his father and I can do to nip this in the bud, were all in.
Which of the following best describes Allen?
a) Oppositional defiant disorder, mild
b) Intermittent explosive disorder
c) Conduct disorder
d) Does not meet criteria for a disorder
Frankie earned the reputation of being the terrorist of the 4 year olds at his daycare center. He
has been expelled from 2 other daycare centers and is on notice with the current one. If Frankies
behavior does not improve, he will not be invited back. Frankie punches or bites other children
so he spends a lot of time in the timeout corner. On the playground, he pushes the other children
off the swings for no apparent reason. Frankie squeezes the class pet rabbit and when he thinks
no one is looking swings it by the tail despite being told how much this hurts the animal.
According to his mother, Frankie has been hard to manage even when he was an infant.
Frankies diagnosis is:
a) Oppositional defiant disorder, mild
b) Unspecified disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorder
c) Conduct disorder, childhood-onset
d) Intermittent explosive disorder
The social worker remembered thinking, Wow That kid sure is a handful. Im surprised he was
not referred sooner. Mark Pryor is an 11 year-old boy who is described by his parents as being
stubborn and defiant since early childhood. Sometimes that child can be so spiteful, adds his
father. His mother comments, If I ask Mark to brush his teeth and hes watching TV, hell turn
around and call me all sorts of names. I know my son doesnt mean it at least I hope so, but it
sure hurts. His brothers walk on eggs when hes in one of his moods, which lately seems to be all
the time. Oddly enough he does pretty good in school but I notice he doesnt have that many
friends these days. What is the most like diagnosis to consider?
a) Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
b) Disruptive behavior disorder
c) Oppositional defiant disorder
d) Conduct disorder
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